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Pat Rawson

“(…) I feel it's equally an honor now to be part of the Lightning Bolt spirit and showcase my shaping skills and craftsmanship on the highest level obtainable.”

Pat Rawson has been shaping surfboards since 1966, based on Sunset Beach, on the North Shore of Ohau. Rawson is a skilled visionary artisan (and an accomplished jazz pianist), who made significant contributions to surfboard innovation through every decade of his career, from fish surfboard design and modern gun development to quad fin exploration. Rawson began his extensive surfboard blank designs and gun rockers produced through Clark Foam and making pro quivers for half or more of the top 16 pro surfers visiting Hawaii, like Tom Carroll, Mark Richards, Tom Curren, Gary Elkerton, as well as Hawaiian pros Michael and Derek Ho, Bobby Owens, Jon Damm, Sunny Garcia and later, Kalani Robb, Bruce Irons, Ryan Rawson and many others.

Combining innovative custom designs with handcrafted experience, Rawson shapes and sells to 19 countries worldwide from Hawaii and other hi-tech manufacturing locations and continues updating his knowledge concerning the latest software and computer cutting technology in designing and shaping.

When asked about entering on Lightning Bolt League of Legends he says:

“When I used to make boards for Jack Shipley at Lighting Bolt  in the mid 70's before going on to help create Local Motion, I felt it was an honor then to have my boards (which were completely shaped and glassed by me), in their modest Kapiolani Store next to Gerry's and Rory's and other greats I looked up to. And I feel it's equally an honor now to be part of the Lightning Bolt spirit and showcase my shaping skills and craftsmanship on the highest level obtainable.”